ARLINGTON, Va. - EMU came into today's tri-match, winners of two in a row and four of their last five. 

In their opener, despite playing tough, the Royals fell to #9 Vassar, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-23). In the nightcap, EMU fought back from 2-1 down to take down Marymount, 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-12), giving EMU its first win over the Saints since 2017. 

EMU vs Vassar College

Records: EMU 11-13, 7-2 ODAC | Vassar 18-2, 4-1 UVC

Highlights

Set One - Vassar 25, EMU 20

•  Vassar started on top 3-0, before EMU picked up a pair of points on kills from Daeman Odom and Ricardo Fernandez Perez. The teams traded points to 7-5, before the Brewers went on a 3-0 run to give themselves some cushion at 10-5. 
• EMU would tie things at 11 with a 6-1 run, with Andre Mills and Sebastian Clemente racking up service aces, and Odom adding another kill. Back-to-back Brewer errors put EMU ahead 13-12, before Vassar reeled off six of the next seven points for an 18-14 lead. 
• Jose Melendez, Clemente, Mills, Odom and Bennet de Tenley would pick up single kills over the next 13 points, but Vassar would finish things out with an EMU error for a 1-0 lead. 

Set Two - Vassar 25, EMU 16

• Vassar jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the second, and eventually pushed their lead to six, 11-5. 
• EMU would pull within four with a pair of VC errors and an Ezekiel Awkward kill, but the Brewers answered with a 5-1 run, extending their lead to 19-11. 
• Odom picked up a kill and Mills had an ace, pulling the Royals to 19-13, but Vassar ended the set on a 6-3 run for a 2-0 lead. 

Set Three - Vassar 25, EMU 23

• This time it was EMU pulling ahead in set three, taking a 4-1 lead, highlighted by an Awkward kill. EMU would continue to tie or hold a small lead, all the way to 9-8 after another Awkward kill. 
• Vassar took their first lead of the set with an 11-1 run, leading 19-10. 
• EMU kept fighting, cutting the Brewers lead to five with a 4-0 tilt, with a Mills kill and back-to-back Awkward aces. Later in the set, with Vassar leading 23-17, EMU reeled off three straight, and six of the next seven, behind four Vassar errors, a Fernandez Perez kill and a Samuel Gomez ace. But the Brewers finished out the match with a kill, to pick up the sweep. 

Statistical Leaders
Mills: 6 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs
Awkward: 5 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs
Fernandez Perez: 12 assists, 2 kills, 4 digs

EMU vs Marymount

Records: EMU 12-13, 7-2 ODAC | Marymount 9-13, 3-1 CVC

Highlights

Set One - EMU 25, Marymount 22

• This match was the very definition of evenly matched. The Royals took a three point lead, midway through the set, after kills from Mills and Odom, and a block from Odom, Clemente and Mills. 
• The teams swapped points, and Marymount was later able to tie things at 18, picking up a pair of service points along with an EMU error.
• Late in the set, with the score tied at 20, EMU grabbed the momentum, winning five of the next seven points, including kills from Clemente, Odom and Awkward, to take a 1-0 lead, and win a set over the Saints for the first time since 2018. 

Set Two - Marymount 25, EMU 23

• Once again, neither team could grab much of a lead, as Marymount pulled ahead 8-6, just to have EMU snatch the lead back with a 3-0 run. 
• After kills from Awkward and Mills put EMU on top 11-10, Marymount went on a 6-1 run to take a 16-12 lead, their biggest of the set. 
• The teams swapped points to 21-18, before EMU scored three straight, highlighted by a Mills kill and a solo block from Melendez, to tie things at 21. The Saints, however, were able to tie the match at one set apiece, winning four of the next six points, to take the set. 

Set Three - Marymount 25, EMU 22

• The Saints put themselves in position to take the match, winning set three and taking a 2-1 lead. The Royals jumped out to a 5-2 lead, using two kills from Mills, one each by Awkward and Odom, and a Melendez ace, to take an early lead. 
• The teams were neck and neck, throughout the rest of the set, but EMU was able to take a two-point lead late, 18-16. Marymount used a 4-1 run to pull out in front 20-19, before EMU tied things at 20 with a Mills kill. But after another tie at 21-all, the Saints used a 4-1 run to take the set. 

Set Four - EMU 25, Marymount 21

• It was do or die for EMU in the fourth, and Marymount wasn't about to make it easy, keeping things tied at seven early on. EMU then went on an 8-3 run, to give themselves a 15-10 cushion. 
• Later in the set, the Saints pulled within two, 16-14, before a 4-1 Royals tilt, highlighted by two kills from Mills, along with a kill and block from Odom, extended EMU's lead to five. 
• Marymount made things interesting late, pulling with one at 22-21, but EMU wasn't ready to leave Arlington yet, finishing off the set with three straight points, including a Mills kill, to send the match to a fifth and final set. 

Set Five - EMU 15, Marymount 12

• Marymount won the first point of the fifth, followed by a 9-2 run for EMU to take a big 9-3 lead.
• The Saints reeled off five straight, cutting EMU's lead to one, 9-8, and getting the home crowd back into it. But back-to-back errors from the Saints deflated any momentum they had, pushing the Royals lead back to three, 11-8. 
• Marymount once again pulled with one, using a kill and a block, to make the score 11-10. But EMU kept its composure, using a kill from Melendez and three from Awkward, including the final one of the match, to pull out the 3-2 win. 

Statistical Leaders
Mills: 28 kills (career high), .418 hit pct., 3 blocks
Awkward: 17 kills (career high), 2 blocks
Fernandez Perez: 49 assists, 2 blocks, 9 digs
Rey De La Cruz: 15 digs

What's Next
EMU will be back on the court on Wednesday, in a huge ODAC matchup at Randolph Macon. First serve against the Yellow Jackets is set for 7 pm. 

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